Steam engine



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. 1. R. KERN.

STEAM ENGINE.

Patented Aug. 17, 1886.

WIT/VESSES:

N. PtTERs, Phomumngmphcr, wnhinrun. D. CA

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

I. R. KERN.

STEAM ENGINE.

No. 347.616. Patented Aug. 17, 188.6.

/VVE/VTO? By ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE. l

ISAAC R. KERN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

STEAM-ENGINE.

EPECIICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,616, dated August 17, 1886.

Application tiled March 9, 1886. Serial No. 194,600. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC R. KERN, of Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, have i11- `vented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines, of which the. following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates, first, to an improvedV construction of cylinder and steam-chest andvalves contained therein; second, to the con-` ldevices and combination'and arrangement of parts exhibited by the drawings, and hereinafter set forth. A

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional plan view of an engine embodying my improvements, the section being taken on line c c, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the cylinder, steam-chest, Snc., on line a a, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the main valve, enlarged, and showing its front face or the face that is next to the cylinder. Fig. 4 is a detached View of the ily -wheel of the engine, having the centrifugal devices for changing the position of the cut off eccentric on the main shaft attached thereto. Fig. 5 is a detail View of a portion of the framing of the engine and a side view` of the cross-head. Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the same on line d d; and Fig. 7 is a sectional side viewv of the engine, taken longitudinally on the line b b, Fig. 1, and vertically on line :c Fig. 2.

The main valve K is made with two ports, t", which pass directly through it near to its respective ends, and an exhaust-opening, K, occupies most of the remaining portion of its surface. By reference to Fig. 3 it will beseen that the exhaust opening through the main valve is very long and almost as wide as the valve itself. It will also be seen that the ends of the exhaust-opening are made with an ineline or curre,.for the purpose of more effectu- .from the cylinder downwardly to the exhaust-v passage e'z, which extends under the cylinder and to the chamber p, which is located under the cylinder. From the said chamber p an eXhaust-pipe-such as s-may lead out into the open air or to any desired point'.

The main valve K is made of a single plate of metal, faced on both sides for forming a tight joint with the face t of the cylinder and with the front side, m', of the steamchest, and having a stem, g, cast integral with its body. The stem g can be either square or round, as it does not work through a stufiing-box. The main valve in operation rides on its lower edge and on a plain surface formed on the bedplate or framing of the engine just above the p steam-chamber p', and, for that matter, so does the entire steam-chest, carrying the cut-off valve fr, lie loosely on its lower edge. In the lower edge of the steam -chest, at about the middle of its length. is formed an opening, e, for the entrance of the live steam. This opening ilares downwardly, or,'rather, a concave annular recess is formed around its lower end, and a packing-ring, e', that is quadrangularin cross-section, is located in the recess and supports the greater part of the weight of the steam chest and the appurtenances thereof. In this way a tight joint, and at the same time a flexible one, is maintained between the steamchest and the steam-chamber p', and the chest is allowed to adjust itself more perfectly to the face of the main valve than it could it the steam-pipe s were connected to it in a rigid Projecting at suitable points around the outside of the steaurchest are a'number of ears or lugs, 25, into which bolts n have one end screwed, and at opposite points on the outside of the cylinder m a corresponding number of ears or lugs, 24, are located. The bolts n pass through the lugs 24 and into the lugs located on the steamchest, and a spring, 26, is located on them between their heads and the lugs 24. The tension of these springs can be regulated when desired, so as to pull the chest tighter against the main valve andthe face of the cylinder by simply screwing the bolts far ther into the lugs 25. Thus it will be seen the main valve can work perfectly free and IGC easy. The friction that would be caused by a stufiugbox is obviated, as its stem does not require one, and the only pressure that the steam can exert on the main valve is represented by the area of the ports z" in the side of the steam-chest. The ring e', in connection with the steam-chest and the bed of the engine. forms a sort of universal joint between the steam-chest and the live-steam chamber p', and it is obvious that the chest is free to move a limited distance to and from the cylinder.

The cutoff valve r is a plain rectangular plate of metal having no openings throughit, and it is formed with a lug, 27, on its back, to which its stem should be attached. Said cut-off valve operates on a raised seat that is formed upon the inner surface of the front side, m', of the steam-chest, and as the metal at 28 between the ports inthe chest is cut away for the purpose of forming the raised seat, itshould be clear that the steam can get nearly all around the valve. Thus it will be almost balanced,and can be moved with little power.

As the live steam will bc contained in the steam-chest, and as the stem of the cut-o valve 1' must pass out through one end of the chest, a Stuffing-box for it will be required, and is provided, as shown.

That portion of the framing which carries the main shaft 1 may be of any approved form that is different from what is here shown.

The main valve K is driven by an eccentric, 29, of ordinary construction, and its rod 30 may be connected to the stem g by any approved means. The cut-off valve r, however, is operated by the eccentric 13, which is carried by or attached to a sleeve, 9. This sleeve is loosely mounted on the main shaft, so that it may be revolved independently of it, and it carries or has attached to it, in addition to the eccentric 13, a toothed pinion, 6. It may be observed here that the eccentric 13 is an ordinary one, except thatit revolves xedly with the sleeve 9 and t-he pinion 6. The eccentric 13 is also designed to move in unison with the eccentric 29, except when the load on the engine is varied in some way.

The devices for controlling the cut-off valve maybe described as follows: Extending across the fly-wheel or band-wheel, as the case may be, and having their ends secured to the inner side of the rim of the wheel are two guidebars, 12. Two weights, 2, are loosely mounted on the guide-bars, so that they can slide to or from the main shaft, and they are adj ustably, though securely, attached to respective rackrods 10. Located diametrically opposite each other on the inner side of the rim of the iiywheel A and between the guide-bars 12 are a pair ofsockcts, 5,which contain aspiral spring, such as 3 or 4. These spring-sockets can be cast integral with the rim of the wheel, or they may be secured thereto in any desired way. Formed upon or secured to the inner ends of the rack-bars 10 isa rack, 7, the teeth of which are adapted to mesh with the teeth of the pinion 6. The outer ends of the laclebarsare threaded andare fitted with a nut or nutssuch as Z2-which rest upon the inner ends of the springs 3 and 4. The racks 7 are provided with aguiding-clip, 8, or a device of some kind for the purpose of holding them in line with and in position on the guide-bars 12. The rotation of the sleeve 9 upon the shaft l in either direction will cause a corresponding movement of the cut-off eccentric 13 and the cut-off valve r, as is well-known in practice with other engines which are fitted with a variable cut-oli' valve. The rot-ation of the sleeve 9 is produced and controlled by the centrifugal force of the weights 2, opposed by the springs 3 and 4. With this construction, then, the process of governing may be briefly described as follows: Suppose the engine to be started without any load. As the speed approaches the desired point, the weights 2 acquire centrifugal forcesufcient to overcome the power of the springs and move outward, revolving the sleeve a little faster than the speed at which the main shaft is going, and cutting oi` the steam and restraining the engine within the desired limit of speed, while at the same time the movement of the main valve K remains unchanged,and the exhauststeam is allowed to pass freely out of the cyl inder without contact with the eut-off valve. Now, if work be put on the engine, the springs 3 and 4 will overcome the centrifugal force of the weights, and the necessary amount ofsteam to meet the load is admitted tothe cylinder.

The novel construction of my improved cross-head 44 is,I thinlgworthy ofspecial mention. The cross-head is adjusted for wear in its guides, formed in the framing h, by means ofthe oppositely-located wedges f, and said wedges are clamped in position after adj ustment by means ofthe oppositely-located clamping-platesf. The plates f are bolted to the sides f2 of the cross-head and are adapted to clamp the edges of the wedges f, and so hold them in position at any desired point, thc cross-head pin f being securely held in the sides of the cross-head in any desired manner Without projecting through the plates The cross-head is made with a cavity, f, in which the end of the connecting-rod is to operate, and is connected to the piston-rod in the usual manner. Although the wedges f may be provided with suitable guides of any desired form to prevent their lateral movement in the framing h, I would prefer that they be provided with a longitudinal rib upon their bearing-surface, which is VShaped iu cross-section, and which operates in a correspondingly-shaped groove in the framing, as shown.

It will be observed that the exhaust-openings throughout this engine are quite large and roomy, thereby affording the wasted steam a free and easy passage-way.

I would say that there will be no need of steam-cocks at the ends of the cylinder as sup- IOO plied to engines of ordinary construction, and the reason of this is the fact that the lower edge or side of all the ports are located on a -plane below the lower and interior surface of the cylinder, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 7. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the engine-cylinder provided with ports and supported upon the framing, the steam-chest yieldingly attached to the cylinder and to the framing and carrying a cut-ott valve, and the main valve located between the cylinder and steam-chest and fitted to operate or to be operated without the intervention of a stuing-box.-

2. A steam-engine cylinder provided with the faced surface I, and having the exhaustpassage e2 extending from the faced surface to the chamberp, beneath the cylinder, and -having a steam passage or port, i3, located at each side of the exhaust-passage and extending to the bore of the cylinder, substantially as described. f

3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the cylinder m, having lugs 24, the valve K, steamchest carrying cut-off valve oand provided with lugs 25, bolts, such as n,

and springs, such as 26, located on the bolts.

'4. The combination, with the bed-plate or 'framing ofa steam-engine, of a steam chest located thereon and provided with the recessed opening e and the packingring e, located between the steam-chest and the framing, as set forth.

5. The combination, substantially as set forth, of main shaft l, iiy or band wheel A, weights 2, springs 3 and 4, located in sockets 5, pinion 6, secured to sleeve 9, bars or rods 10, having racks 7 formed upon one end, eccentric 13, also secured to sleeve 9, and the cut-off valve and intermediate connections, substantially as described.

6. A cross'head for a steam-engine, composed of wedges f, side plates, f', secured to the body of the cross-head for clamping the edges of the Wedges, and pin y, for carrying the end of the connecting-rod, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC R. KERNr J W. NORTON, C. B. KURTZ. 

